Bahai leaders arrested in Iran. In the front row seated from the
left are Behrouz Tavakkoli and Saeid Rezaie. Standing from the left
are Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani and Afif
Naeimi. On the far right is Mahvash Sabet, detained since March.
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Six leaders of a group managing the Baha'i community's
religious and administrative affairs
in Iran
were arrested at their homes by officersfrom the Ministry of
Intelligence on 14 May and are now detained in Evin Prison in Tehran. A seventh
person, acting secretary for the group, Mahvash Sabet, has been in detention
since 5 March. They may all be prisoners of conscience, detained solely because
of their religious beliefsor their peaceful activities on behalf of the
Baha'i community.

The six Baha'i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif
Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm, were arrested
following raids on their homes by officers from the Ministry of Intelligence in
the early hours of 14 May. Their homes were extensively searched for about five
hours.

Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Jamaloddin Khanjani have
previously been arrested for their activities on behalf of the Baha'i community.
Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi and Behrouz Tavakkoli were arrested in
Mashhad in Khorasan Province, north-eastern Iran, on 26 July 2005 after they
arrived at the city's bus station from Tehran in order to meet some other
Baha'is and discuss community affairs. Fariba KamalabadiTaefi, who was
released on bail on 19 September 2005, is a member of a coordinating group that
supervises course work for Baha'is in Iran who wish to study their religion. She
had previously been arrested on 25 May 2005 and released on bail on 28 June.
Behrouz Tavakkoli was released on bail on 15 November 2005.

Mahvash Sabet, who lives in Tehran, was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of
Intelligence as part of its investigation into the burial of an individual in
the city's Baha'i
cemetery. She was arrested on 5 March and later transferred to Evin Prison,
where she remains.

Three other Baha'is are also currently detained in unclear circumstances in
Shiraz and may also be prisoners of conscience (See UA 25/08; MDE 13/017/2008,
25 January 2008).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Baha'i
faithwas founded about 150 years ago in Iran and has since spread around
the world. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the
Baha'i
community has been systematically harassed and persecuted. There are over
300,000 Baha'is
currently in Iran, but their religion is not recognized under the Iranian
Constitution, which only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and
Zoroastrianism.
Baha'is in Iran
are subject to discriminatory laws and regulations which violate their right to
practise their religion freely, as set out in Article 18(1) of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party,and which deny them equal rights to education, work and to a decent
standard of living by restricting their access to employment and benefits such
as pensions. They are not permitted to meet, to hold religious ceremonies or to
practice their religion communally. Since President Ahmadinejad was elected in
2005, dozens of
Baha'is have
been arrested because of their faith.

Members of the
Baha'i
community in Iran profess their allegiance to the state and deny that they are
involved in any subversive acts against the government, which they state would
be against their religion. For further information, please see the report:
Iran - New government fails to address dire human rights situation (MDE
13/010/2006, 16 February 2006):

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in
Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:

- asking why the seven individuals (please name them) have been detained by the
Ministry of Intelligence;

- stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of
conscience if they are detained because of their Baha'i
faith or their peaceful activities managing the religious or administrative
affairs of the Baha'i
community in Iran;

- calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably
criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly;

- calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them;

- urging the authorities to ensure that they are given immediate and regular
access to their relatives andlawyers of their choice.